Toque of the Town

When you want to cook up a feast fit for the fifth anniversary of a premier food and wine festival, you turn to a top toque. So when the organizers of Charleston’s 2010 celebration considered a candidate for headlining chef, it was a no-brainer. Crème de la crème of New York; winner of James Beard Foundation honors for Outstanding Chef and Restaurateur; awarded Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur for his contribution to the advancement of French culinary culture; and commander of restaurants in NYC, Palm Beach, Las Vegas, Vancouver, and Beijing, Daniel Boulud was a natural choice.

“Daniel is the ultimate professional and sets what I think is the ultimate standard for the food and wine world,” says Charleston Grill G.M. Mickey Bakst, the man responsible for bringing Boulud to the Holy City. “His restaurants are masterpieces, and his passion is infectious.” Bakst also plans the festival’s evening of haute cuisine, Dinner with a View, a seated affair in Terri Henning’s People’s Building penthouse. This year, the theme will be Dinner with Daniel.
What to expect? Take it from New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni, who wrote of Boulud’s flagship restaurant, Daniel: “Food...impressive in its precision and...gloriously wanton in its luxuriousness...flourishes [that] make you feel that you’ve slipped into a monarch’s robes, if only for a night.” You can count on it, Charleston.